HOMEWORK PROMPTS FOR WEEK ENDING 4TH MARCH

[Maureen K Clifford]

Have you ever wondered as you sit looking through old photos about the people and places you are seeing? Do you put notations on the back of your photos so that future generations can identify them?

Doing photo restorations I see heaps of photos where people are trying to identify who the people in their old photos are so that they can fit them into their family tree. There are skilled restorers within the group who can pick the date within a year or two, from the fashions and hairstyles. Other people can place a photograph in a particular region by identifying buildings or landmarks. Using overlays and cutaways we can pick family members in a group photo. The father and son, brothers, possible cousins. But how much simpler all would be had the photos been marked in the first place.

All of these help make an identification possible or at least probable and so over time people are able to piece their family back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes if you are lucky you will make contact through a genealogical site with a family member you knew nothing about (I have found and made contact with 3 distant cousins – one in WA, one in Toowoomba and one in Wales) and then perhaps more photos and details will be shared.

One lady found a beautifully framed large portrait of a WWI soldier photo when she started to do renovations on her home. His picture was behind the existing wall. She has no idea who he is or where he comes from. It is a great piccie and I restored it for her, he was such a lovely looking young bloke with very gentle features and to my way of thinking he looked quite a refined young bloke, but even his uniform had no identifying badges etc on it.

http://pool.abc.net.au/media/unknown-soldier

So here is the project for homework for the next fortnight – People long forgotten, nobody knows their name.

OK. Sharpen up your fingers and get tapping and share your own memories or your imagination with us about people long forgotten.

To all those who participated in the last fortnights homework I thank you

Cheers

Maureen